It was a subject crying out to be chronicled: Shobhaa De

Venal politicians are the flavour of the season. And there you are, right in the centre of it with this book – the story of a corrupt Delhi political ‘sethji’ . How do you manage to always catch the pulse of popular culture?
The rot in our political system today is so blatant, so shockingly besharam, it was a subject crying out to be chronicled... through fiction ....through movies. Sometimes, writers don't have to choose the subject, the subject chooses them. There is such a rich cast of characters in public life right now, that there was no dearth of inspiration here! Documenting popular culture has been a preoccupation for the longest time. In fact, I do feel we underestimate the power of popular culture in India. It is the single most potent instrument of change. I have always had my ear to the ground. ‘Sethji’ more or less wrote itself...
All the characters in the book occupy a grey amoral zone driven by greed, lust and vulnerability . Who is the character you like the most and why?
I like Amrita a lot. She is, first and foremost, a survivor. Her character holds the entire narrative. She is the pivot around which the book revolves. Amrita is strong, practical , and also a deliciously sensual woman, constantly placing her own priorities on hold in order to cope with some extraordinary situations. Her ability to manage people, in particular Sethji, her difficult father-in-law , makes her the real hero of the book.
Who do you think is the sexiest Indian male politician of all time?
It has to be Rajiv Gandhi. Never mind his politics... we aren't discussing brains here, right?